A biodegradable fibre packaging alternative has been developed to help the industry move away from black plastic.
Data and analytics company GlobalData consumer analyst Ryan Choi said the main issue with black plastic trays has been the colour.
"Black is used as it makes pack contents stand out better and appear more attractive on shelf, however optical sorting equipment in recycling facilities has difficulty detecting black packs and most of the time fails to do so,” he said.
In response to the pressure packaging producers are under to find a replacement for plastic, Durapulp fibre has been released.
It's used to create biodegradable packaging to replace the black plastic trays often used in ready meals and raw beef products.
The producer, Finnish packaging manufacturer Huhtamaki, trialled Durapulp fibre in the UK ready meal category between May and June this year.
The company hopes the trial will eventually lead to the adoption of biodegradable packaging in ready meals.
According to a report conducted by Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), most black plastic ends up in landfill rather than being recycled.
Several UK-based companies have identified this as an issue, and are looking to phase out black packaging despite the high costs involved. Waitrose is looking to phase it out completely by 2019, with Quorn Foods looking to do the same by 2025.
“The main problems facing manufacturers of new packaging materials are the cost of manufacturing and how well the pack can last," Choi said.
"Plastic was always the perfect solution, being cheap with a long lifecycle – albeit too long.
“Although these packaging trials will highlight the usefulness of the packaging material in practice, ultimately the potential adopters of new packaging materials will always assess how well the new material delivers in these two key areas. If the new pack is not cost-effective to produce at the same time as offering a long enough life cycle, it will not be adopted, even if it is more environmentally friendly.”
